Gammetan requests for proposals
, abbreviated RFP, are competitions sanctioned by the Gammetan Military that pit defense contractors against each other to come up with the best design for new military hardware. When the Gammetan Military feel they need better hardware and the military-industrial complex can handle it, they put out a request for companies to make new designs to a specification. A group of companies are invited by the military to decide whether or not they are going to participate in the competition, and must state their intentions by a specified deadline, usually a few days after the request for proposals is announced. The military will then negotiate funding with those who enter the competition, and will announce a deadline for the prototype designs to be submitted. It will then select the most suitable entrant and begin funding for the design to be completed by a specific date – usually around a year or more after the design's selection – eventually mass-manufacturing them and incorporating them in to the military. Naming convention Names for the proposals begin with an identifying number, unique to that proposal and counting up from 1. Then there is a two-letter combination to denote the type of hardware: * C for craft ** A for air superiority ** Ti for titan ** Tr for transport * G for vehicles (ground) ** A for artillery ** AA for anti-air ** AC for armored car ** APC for armored personnel carrier ** IFV for infantry fighting vehicle ** IMV for infantry mobility vehicle ** LS for land speeder ** MBT for main battle tank ** RA for rocket artillery ** T for titan ** TD for tank destroyer ** W for walker * S for series (more than one design) * V for vessels ** L for large ** T for transport * W for weaponary ** A for armor While the four categories have been announced as official by the Gammetan Military, their respective subcategories have not been established. They are based on RFPs already put out. Requests Following the rise in tensions caused by the Yinto Crisis in 2011, the government significantly increased the military's budget, triggering a large investigation in to how the armed forces can be improved. The investigation first looked in to how existing forces could be improved, sparking the 2011 bomber proposals as well as proposals 1-CA and 2-VL. Following this, they begun planning a large expansion of the basically non-existent ground forces. On March 10, 2012, they published their confidential proposal plans to the various defense contractors of Gammeta, outlining when requests for proposals would be made and what assets would be included in those requests. They did not include the eventual specification of those assets; these were released when the request was put out. In order to speed up the whole process, the military planned to put out two RFPs at the same time, making sure the two assets were different enough as to not cause strain on any one sector of the military-industrial complex. With the exception of the two titans (which would take longer) and the land speeder, armored car and infantry mobility vehicle (shorter), each request for proposal was to have 260 days between the requests being sent and the selection date, as well as the same gap between selection and completion, putting the development time for a project at 17 months. A pair of requests was to be send out five days after the previous pair had been selected. This would put the final design's completion at October 29, 2018. The military, with increased funding due to the outbreak of the Liberalism war, ordered the development time scales to be cut down August 22, 2012. Development time was cut by two thirds, which put each request's development time down to almost six months and the last design's completion on September 14, 2014. The military also reduced the time that responses to a request had to be made, from two weeks to a single week. The below list shows the military's published plans, with modifications made to account for the outbreak of war. * The first pair of requests were to be made in April 2012. The proposals were to be selected in October and completed by January 2013. ** Planetary forces transport (PFT): The first was for the basic design of a large vessel for transportation of assets between planets, solar systems and galaxies. Since no ground vehicles were actually designed yet, the request was for a provisional design that would later be worked on to optimize for future vehicle designs. ** Main battle tank (MBT): In order to form the backbone of the ground forces. The request highlighted that changed would later have to be made to allow for personnel armor to assist in piggybacking the tank. * The next two requests were to be put out on October 9, 2012, for selection by January 3 of the following year. ** Personnel combat armor: Basic armor that would be used by infantry on the front line. It was required to have certain features that allow it to integrate with existing and future RFPs, such as those on the battle tank. ** Infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and armored personnel carrier (APC): In an effort to speed up the process of designing vehicles for the ground forces, they ordered the two models to be based on the same chassis. The winning combination's chassis would also be used as a base in future RFPs, requiring the possibility of rival companies to work together. * The third set of requests would be given out on January 5, 2013. ** Strategic transport craft (STC): For medium-scale, non-combat transport missions within planets. ** Artillery: Eventually it will have an accompanying command, radar and tracking vehicle, as they are designed to function in batteries. * The fourth pair of requests was to be sent out in April 2013. ** Mobile air defense vehicle (AA): Since the military planned to use the same base chassis for the IFV, APC and AA, this request was required to include only the main weaponry (generally in the form of a turret) and any extra features the vehicle would have. ** Combat transport craft (CTC): For transporting small groups of infantry in to, out of and around the battlefield. Variants would be made for emergency medical purposes. * In July, two requests for walkers would be sent out: Scout and heavy. * The next two requests were made on September 27, 2013: The tank destroyer, which would use the same chassis as the IFV, APC and AA, and the rocket artillery, a completely new design. * Requests number 14 and 15 would be large, experimental designs ("titans"), and were thus given 50% more development time. The plan detailed these to be sent out in December 2013, for completion by September the following year * The next two requests were to be made on March 23, 2014. They had different development timescales, however. ** Vehicle drop ship: Capable of dropping all types of vehicles. Due to the large size of the heavy walker, and the requirement for it to be able to carry one, it may be able to carry more than one of other, smaller models. Normal development timescale. ** Infantry mobility vehicle: Half the development timescale due to relatively small size. * The final two requests were also planned to be half the development timescale, starting in June 2014 and finishing, as the last request to be completed, on September 14. They are the land speeder and armored car. List * Amount of proposals made 2011 bomber request One of the most glaring problems the investigation uncovered was that the bomber HelAux B12, which served in the Kortorisan-TEC and KBY-TEC wars, was more optimized for bombing space targets than ground targets, but excelled at hitting mobile targets. The military planned to put out a request to HelAux to design a variant or new model of craft better suited to bombing ground targets, but, in response to government input on the matter, the military decided it wanted another company for increased competition in the aerial sector of the military-industrial complex. With funding from the government and military, Danga Corporation was founded, and begun development on the Danga Bomber. HelAux then began its own experimental project, the HelAux B13. The military began discussing a competition with the two companies, and it was agreed that the best design by December 10, 2011 would be the only bomber to be manufactured, and would receive funding for the design's completion. While not fully fitting the definition, this was the origin of the requests for proposals system. A few weeks after development began, Danga Corporation was put up for sale by the military in an attempt to privatize it. Low prices were offered, sparking a few responses, and after a bidding process, Mechal Production Industries was the eventual buyer. The transition went smoothly, and development of the Danga Bomber was unhindered, but the B13 was eventually selected as the winner, thanks to its experimental Gatalon Photon Cannon beam weapons, which had not seen implementation on such a small vehicle. 1-CA 1-CA was for the first single-role air superiority craft for the air force. It was announced on February 1, 2012, the self-election deadline was two weeks later, and the original deadline for proposals was December 15, with no completion date planned. Come the start of the Liberalism war, the military was given a drastically increased budget; the selection was pushed back to September 29, and the completion date was set at January 8, 2013. The requirements of the craft were: It must have been no more than two seater, optimally one; it must have had the three standard propulsion systems (main engines, flusters (reaction control system) and repulsors), as well as the option for afterburners; and it must have used overtly anti-air weapons. Though they announced they would accept air-to-surface capabilties, they also clarified that they should explicitly not be prioritized. To the surprise of many—and against historical trends—the MPI's Mechal Fi-1 design was selected. 2-VL 2-VL was for a large anti-craft vessel for the navy. It was announced with the same deadlines as 1-CA, and was affected by the Liberalism war in the same way: Self-election by February 15, 2012, selection by September 29, then completion by January 8 the following year. The requirements of the vessel were: It must have had a sizeable crew; it must have used some form of new anti-craft technology (weaponry or not); it must have been around the same size, if not bigger, than the Lohaul Battleship; it should not have wasted prioritization on anti-vessel, anti-orbital or anti-surface capabilities; and it could have had small craft-storing and deploying capabilities. Once again MPI was selected to design its model. 3-VT 3-VT was for a large space vessel capable and optimized for transporting a large amount of ground forces between planets, for all three branches of the military. It was announced alongside 4-GM, though with a shorter prototype design period due to its lesser complexity and lack of weapons systems. It was announced alongside 4-GM on April 23, 2012. The self-election deadline was set to May 7, and the prototype was selected on January 8, 2013. Specifications for the design included: * A large amount of storage compartments capable of fitting a wide variety of equipment including weaponry, vehicles, craft, as well as personnel * Facilities for refitting, retrofitting and repairing those assets, which must also be easy to upgrade for future models * Housing for personnel * A quick and reliable deployment system for both personnel and equipment once landed * A quick ground take-off and landing system, including good engines * Capable shields, hyperdrive, armor * Little to no prioritization on weapons * Relatively high cost is allowed Shortly after the request was announced, Maitland and Tomat made a deal that, should one of their designs be picked (but not both), they would work together to design it. Gralage rejected the offer due to their focus on smaller ships, but made a deal with MPI to help if their design got picked. MPI's design was selected, making it 3 wins out of 3 competitions entered. Their design was originally called the Mechal-class Transport, but was renamed to the Chariot-class. 4-GMBT 4-GMBT was for a main battle tank for the ground forces. It was to be the main frontline vehicle, capable of engaging most ground targets. It was announced alongside 3-VT, and had the same self-election deadline, but the design's completion was set to November 26, 2012, two months earlier than the 3-VT. Specifications: * The vehicle should not use repulsors, but should be prepared for an upgrade if necessary in the future * It should have a main weapon capable of doing a lot of one-hit damage to buildings, armor and shields, as well as having an area of effect, and being capable of refiring within a reasonable amount of time * The main weapon must be a turret unless a better system of panning can be implemented * It should have secondary weapons capable of handling lighter targets * It should be capable of taking multiple hits before being completely disabled * Top speed should be at least 100 km/h; it must be able to deliver this for long periods of time * It should be able to last a reasonable amount of time in combat where logistics cannot support it, and a much longer time if not in combat Armana's design was selected, the overall specifications making it a better all-round tank than its rivals. 5-WA 5-WA was a request for personnel armor for protecting in combat operations. Previously, the government hired designers under a nationalized, temporary firm to design combat armor. After the design's completion in 2009, it has quickly become outdated, both in terms of performance and integration with more modern military assets. The market for armor designers remained non-existant, forcing the military to increase funding for the requests in an attempt to get businesses from other sectors to make proposals. The request was put out October 9, 2012, with self-election a week later, proposals by January 3 the following year, and project completion targetted at March 31. These dates were the same for 6-GI/P, the following proposal. The specification was as follows: * The armor must be full-suit. * It must offer reliable protection in at least the torso and head against modern small arms impacts. * Wearers must be able to move and speak unhindered while the suit offers this amount of protection. * The suit must have built-in radio communication. MicellCo Works was the only company to reject making a proposal, but days later joined forces with Magnu to develop their shielded suit. 6-GI/P 6-GI/P was a request for two models of ground vehicle: Infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier. The request outlined that both should use the same basic chassis in order to cut costs and time. The APC would be the IFV, with weapons and armor scaled down in lieu of more room for cargo. The request was paired with 5-WA, and thus had the same request, self-election, selection and completion dates. Specification: * Two models must be designed: An IFV and APC * They must be of similar basic construction * The IFV must be able to withstand at least one hit of modern anti-tank ordnance, to the point where it is not immobilized. * The IFV must have weapons capable of damaging modern battle tanks, dealing with lightly-armored targets and suppressing infantry positions. * The IFV must be able to carry 5 fully-equipped soldiers at a minimum. It must be able to be retrofitted easily to carry up to 7. * The APC must be able to withstand at least 50% of the minimum an IFV can, in terms of armor. * The APC must be able to suppress infantry positions, and possibly deal with lightly armored targets. * The APC must be able to carry 10 fully-equipped soldiers. * The APC must have countermeasures that * Both vehicles must be able to quickly enter and withdraw from combat situations, and deploy their cargo safely. * Both vehicles must have a max-speed of at least 150 km/h; they must be able to maintain this for long periods of time. Category:Gammetan Civilization